-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's a revolutionary decree . In the midst of the fight against Islamist rebels seeking to turn the clock back to the 7th century , a Kurdish region in Syria has just approved a new law ordering equality for women . Take that , ISIS !

The status of women has become one of the ideological battlegrounds in the fierce war between the self-described Islamic State and the Kurdish defenders , who have received air support from the United States . With the defiant decree by the small canton , the Kurds are doubling down , staking out a position as the stalwarts of modernity , not intimidated by opponents whose brutality has caused other armies to flee .

The change is not just symbolic . It is a real transformation in the legal status of women .

The timing of the decree is not accidental , and it is certainly brazen . It is a shot across the ideological bow of Islamists who have made a concerted push to spread their so-called caliphate 's views throughout the Muslim world . And it is also a message to the West .

The Kurds are tacitly saying `` Look at us . We are the ones who share your ideas about human rights and equality . We are the ones in this many-sided conflict that deserves your support . ''

The decree was issued by the Jazira district of Syria 's Hasakeh province , about 100 miles from the now-legendary town of Kobani , where armed Kurdish men and women are holding their positions , battling to prevent the ultra-radical Islamic State , also known as ISIS , from overrunning their territory .

Kurdish-majority provinces in northern Syria declared self-rule in 2013 as the rest of Syria exploded into civil war . The Kurds , an ethnic Muslim minority spread mostly across Iraq , Syria , Turkey and Iran , have faced repression and have fought for independence .

Although women have been a part of Kurdish fighting forces since long before ISIS swept across Syria and Iraq , women have fought for full equality . In remote , rural areas , conservative practices have remained the norm .

But the new rules in the Jazira district call for equal pay and equal inheritance rights . Until now , women were not allowed to inherit . They also declare the testimony of a woman in court equally valuable as that of a man .

In addition , the rule establishes maternity leave for women and , importantly , it mandates that no woman be married without her own consent , and never under the age of 18 .

The contrast could not be sharper .

ISIS has engaged in the systematic rape of women , and even young girls have been handed off as `` wives '' as a reward for militants . The Islamic State has published online articles declares that capturing and selling women as slaves is an acceptable , even beneficial practice .

And while ISIS labels anyone who does n't share its radical religious interpretation as an infidel or an apostate , subject to execution , the Kurds of Jazira says their rules on full equality will apply to everyone in their ethnically-mixed district .

ISIS already occupies about one-third of Hasakeh , according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights . In areas under ISIS rule , women are required to cover completely and may not leave their homes without a male relative .

Still , ISIS , too , claims it empowers women . Like the Kurds , ISIS has also established all-women brigades , complete with weapons . But their role is diametrically different from that of Kurdish women .

The ISIS female brigades serve many purposes . They help undercut the notion that women are less free under their Islamist rule and they help encourage new recruits . They also serve important practical functions . The women 's battalions also help in body searches , preventing men dressed as women from moving through checkpoints .

Then there is the more disturbing aspect of the ISIS all-women brigades . They act as the enforcers of the rules that oppress women . They check adherence to the dress code , for example . They are the morality police , and their principal job is to implement the day to day oppression of women . There are reports of armed women stopping girls in the street , quizzing them on their knowledge of Islam and of ISIS rules .

It 's a long way from the role of female Kurds fighters , who are an integral part of the military force . In Kobani , about a third of the warriors are women . One of the top commanders is a woman . Their job is to do battle , to defend the city .

To be sure , the Kurds do n't have a perfect record on the treatment of women . Honor killings , female genital mutilation and domestic violence have plagued their communities . In the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq , the government has outlawed the practices , but they have proven difficult to eradicate .

Still , the Kurds are comparatively more modern than many of their neighbors . And the pressure from ISIS may just be moving them even farther along the road to equality . For women defending their territory , it is a delightful irony .

@highlight

Frida Ghitis : Kurdish region in Syria approved new law ordering equality for women

@highlight

Move shows ideological battleground between ISIS , which enslaves women , and Kurds

@highlight

Ghitis says it 's message to West on human rights and equality , to encourage West 's support

@highlight

Ghitis : Battle against ISIS helping Kurdish women achieve equality